BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Sunday morning for state visits to Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.

Xi will visit the four countries at the invitation of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Raul Castro, president of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba.

Xi will attend the sixth BRICS Summit and the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit in Brazil.

Xi's entourage includes Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese experts believe the upcoming visit by President Xi Jinping to Latin America will lift relations between China and the region to a new level.

Later this month, Xi will pay a state visit to Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba. He will also attend a summit of the BRICS nations and meet with leaders of Latin American and Caribbean nations in Brazil. Full story